The Pende people of the Democratic Republic of Congo are grouped into
small kingdoms, which consolidate several clans under the rule of a chief
whose main role is that of mediator with the ancestors. Even though the
society is matrilineal, the sculptor's profession is transmitted from father
to son. Pende art styles vary widely, with a more abstract, geometric style
in the east and a more naturalistic one in the central area and to the west.
The animal masks shown on this page are used in the initiation rituals during
which boys live out in the bush and act out the behavior of certain animals
includeing antelopes. Masks 9 and 13 are called Panya-Yombe and form
part of the decorative elements of the Men's House.